This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 11-273221, filed Sep. 27, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing a document image, each having a function of processing the contents of a document image inputted as image data. The present invention also relates to an apparatus and method for processing a document image, each making it possible to apply at least insertion or correction to a document image read by, for example, a scanner.
A technique of displaying a document image read from a book by a scanner or the like, on the screen of a computer, and correcting the image is known as a conventional technique. In this conventional technique, however, when an image of a series of characters (a character-series image) is inserted into an original image of character lines, an operator must input all the position coordinates and the moving destination of the character-series image to be moved, which are necessary for this correction. Therefore, burdens an the operator are very heavy. Thus, there arises a problem in that this conventional technique is not practical.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 63-197266 and the like disclose a technique in this field, in which layout analysis is first performed, and then a document image is processed on the basis of results of the layer analysis.
However, the technique disclosed in the publication includes only a step of designating the position and the range of an image to be processed, and a step of moving a character at the end of a line to the head of the next line. Therefore, when a character image is incorporated into an inputted document image, appropriate arrangement cannot be attained. Thus, there remains a problem in that a document image easy to read cannot be formed.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication Nos. 3-122773, 7-85298 and the like make suggestions that layout analysis be used to process a document image. However, none of these publications disclose appropriate means for applying addition, correction or the like to a document image. Thus, addition, correction or the like cannot be applied to any document image easily or appropriately.
As described above, in the techniques that layout analysis is used to process a document image, no conventional document image processing apparatus can arrange appropriately an image to be combined with an inputted document image, or easily apply addition, correction or the like to the document image at high operating efficiency.
An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for processing a document image wherein an image to be combined is appropriately arranged into the inputted document image on the basis of layout constituents obtained by layout analysis, so that burdens on an operator are remarkably reduced, thereby performing addition, correction or the like promptly by simple operation, and a new document image easy to read can be easily prepared.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a document image processing apparatus comprising:
a first inputting section for inputting operator""s instructions,
a second inputting section for inputting a document image as image data,
an analysis section for analyzing the layout of the document image on the image data so as to obtain layout constituents,
an editor for specifying a position to be edited in the document image so as to edit the document image, on the basis of position/size data on the layout constituents and the operator""s instructions from the first inputting section, and
a displaying section for displaying the document image edited by the editor.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of processing a document image, comprising the steps of:
inputting a document image as image data from a second inputting section,
analyzing the layout of the document image on the basis of the image data, and obtaining layout constituents,
displaying the document image on a displaying section, and
specifying a position to be edited in the document image and editing the document image, on the basis of position/size data on the layout constituents and the operator""s instructions from a first inputting section.
With the above-mentioned function of processing an image, burdens on an operator are remarkably reduced and a new document easy to read can be easily and promptly prepared by simple operation. That is, when an operator processes a document image to add or correct a series of characters according to the present invention, the operator can perform it by semi-automatic process on the basis of data on layout constituents obtained from layout analysis. Therefore, complicated operations that the operator must perform in the prior art can be omitted so that the burdens on the operator are reduced. Moreover, since a document image easy to read can be prepared, an operation can be performed while effectively reading the document displayed in an image form.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.